This Greek Cypriot crépinette, a sausage without skin, uses caul fat, or omentum, the membrane that surrounds the stomach, to wrap the ingredients rather than sausage casing. Caul fat is transparent, fragile, and naturally fatty, so you will not need to baste when grilling. Ask the butcher in your supermarket for it.
[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 30 sheftalia
Preparation Time: 4:30 hours in all

1

pound ground pork shoulder

1

pound ground lamb shoulder or leg

1/4

pound pork fatback, rind removed and fat finely chopped

1

large onion, finely chopped

1/2

cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

2

teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2

pound pork caul fat

1. In a large bowl, knead together the pork shoulder, lamb, fatback, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper thoroughly and form into small egg-size shapes, slightly flattened.

2. Carefully unravel the caul fat and stretch it out over your work surface. Cut into as many 4- to 5-inch squares as you can. Place a small flattened size piece of the sausage mixture on each square and wrap it into a neat little package, shaping it with the palms of your hand. Let the sheftalia rest in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

3. The sheftalia can be frozen for up to 4 months at this point or you can grill them. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill for 20 minutes on high. Grill the sheftalia until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes, moving them around the grill to avoid flare-ups.

Cucina Paradiso is a cookbook, not some dry, dull gastronomic text. The recipes are seductively written, and powerfully appealing. And Wright’s refreshing lack of arrogance...is a rarity among food writers today. - Robin Mather, The Detroit News